LEDs Trick Fireflies into Performing a Synchronized Light Show

Each summer, fireflies flood Thailand's mangrove forests with ephemeral yellow light. Where some people see natural beauty, artists Robin Meier and André Gwerder saw an opportutiny. In an experiment expressly designed to "question the idea of free will," the duo set a few firefly-colored LED lights to flash on and off at regular intervals. In the resulting film, entitled Synchronicity (Thailand), the fireflies begin to respond in kind, their bioluminescence flashing in synchronocity. It's a beautiful use of technology, one that sheds light on the mysterious patterns of the natural world